The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of water line use with appliances and more specifically relates to a water line protection device that creates an ample amount of space between a refrigerator and a water supply line behind a refrigerator to keep the water line from kinking and pinching.
2. Description of the Related Art
When refrigerators are positioned flush against a wall, the water line that connects to the main supply can become pinched and kinked. This not only blocks water flow to the refrigerator's water filter and ice cube maker, but also causes potential leaks. Unfortunately, water leaks can significantly increase homeowner's insurance, which is already a costly investment. Additionally, with the refrigerator pushed against a wall, air cannot properly flow into and out of a refrigerator's cooling system, causing potential overheating issues and reduced life expectancy, but also reducing overall performance. A solution is needed.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,159,406 to Ryan D. Schuchart; U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,734 to Larry D. Brown; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,890 to Rudolf Tresch. This art is representative of water line anti-kink devices. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a water line anti-kink device should provide ease of use and, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable ice maker protection box system to provide ample space behind a refrigerator to keep an ice maker water line from kinking and pinching, and provide adequate air flow behind the refrigerator for maximum performance, and to avoid the above-mentioned problems.